I would like to start by saying I’m not a public speaker and being up here is very nerve racking. But this is typical of Jona. Always able to get me to do things I don’t normally do so he can laugh at me later. He could be very persuasive. Like getting me to dress up in a tux and pretend I know how to play the trumpet for his proposal to Dawn. I would never have done anything like that before but it was hard to say no to him. I think it had a lot to do with his personality and charm. It’s not very often you come across someone so genuine. It’s a rare thing these days and Jona certainly was a unique kind of guy. I’m sure many of you who got the chance to meet him or spend time with him would already know this.
When I met him he was just this skinny kid still in high school who had this voracious appetite and could devour large quantities of food in a short time. I’ve never known anyone who could eat like him. I don’t know how his parents could afford to keep feeding him. He reminded me of the kid brother always hanging out with the older brother and his friends. He just wanted to be one of the guys. He always seemed to fit right in no matter what crowd he was with. He certainly was not lacking in the friend department. He always seemed to have this endless supply of friends. I think a lot of it was due to his laid back attitude, down to earth personality, and of course his smile. It was one of those smiles you would never forget. You could walk into a room and catch him smiling from ear to ear. Sometimes with Jona, it could make you uneasy. One couldn’t be sure if he was just happy or if he had just done something mischievous. But I seriously think the guy didn’t have a care in the world. Why should he. He slept til about 1 in the afternoon. Worked for a while then played all night. Occasionally squeeze in a vacation here and there. The guy was living the life most of us would be jealous of. I’m sure this carefree lifestyle probably could potentially cause any parent to go crazy at times but that was who he was and you had to love him for it. He lived life to its fullest and made everyday an adventure.
Someone once said that you and your best friend can do anything or nothing and still have the best time. I would have to agree 100% with that statement. Jona and I had a lot of adventures but I will always remember our talks. I enjoyed our talks and topics of conversations no matter how crazy and ridiculous they got and trust me, sometimes after a long night out we could definitely get on some pretty weird topics. We could just laugh all night. We didn’t always agree on certain things but we sure had a lot of laughs debating back and forth. He was always able to help me put things in perspective. If I ever found myself at a crossroad, or faced with a serious situation, he was always there for me. His ability to calmly and logically approach a problem was truly a gift. This was most apparent when we had our most serious talk of all. It was the day he told me he had cancer.
Jona remained positive and hopeful throughout his battle. I’m not sure how he did it because this was a very tough pill for me to swallow. In retrospect , I can now say something amazing had started. I feel that Jona was teaching me and maybe others a thing about life. He showed me a side of him I had never seen before. We talked about how grateful he was for his deep rooted faith that had been instilled long ago by his parents. Although we had many conversations in the past, we had never talked about faith. We talked for a long time and he even convinced me to sit and read James from the bible. I could tell by the tone in his voice that this really meant something to him. I could see that our conversations began to have more meaning and I was compelled to listen to every word he was saying.
As difficult as it was during this time, I was also able to witness the best in people. The night of Jona’s Benefit was a perfect example of this. Help and support poured in from everywhere. Even people who didn’t know Jona were offering help and support. It was a special thing to see Jona walk around the room that night and how everyone gravitated toward him. Once again his smile seemed to suck everyone in. Everyone left that night feeling like they were just apart of something big. Maybe feeling like life shouldn’t be taken for granted and that people helping people is a great feeling. I know Jona had hoped something positive would come out of all this and I can honestly say I have a new outlook on life thanks to him
I’ve heard that the happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the most of everything. And that’s exactly what Jona did all the way to the end. Every moment I spent with Jona was a blessing and I am honored to have had him in my life.